Wardrobe box and holder hanger therefor



June 1957 v H. w. DIVINE 2,796,977

WARDROBE BOX AND HOLDER HANGER THEREFOR Filed July-l8, 1956 g INVENTOR HARRIS m DIV/IVE ATTORNEYS United States Patent WARDROBE BOX AND HOLDER HANGER THEREFOR Harris W. Divine, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Samuel P. Belsinger, Atlanta, Ga.

Application July 18, 1956, Serial No. 598,556 6 Claims. (Cl. 206-7) This invention relates to improvements in wardrobe boxes and hanger bars therefor, adapted for supporting clothes hangers;

An object of the invention is the provision of a wardrobe box having a hanger bar with a supporting nieans thereon effective for detaining hinged top flaps of the wardrobe box.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a wardrobe box having a hanger bar therein with a supporting piece secured thereto for receiving the weight of superimposed lading.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a unitary hanger bar for a wardrobe box, including a portion for receiving garment hangers, end members for supporting the load of the bar and garments upon the end walls of the box, and a supporting piece effective for detaining flaps constituting the top wall of the wardrobe box, and for receiving a weight superimposed upon the box.

Illustrative forms of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wardrobe box having a hanger therein, with the supporting piece thereon;

Fig. 2 is an upright sectional view showing the relationship of parts of the hanger bar and of the wardrobe box;

Fig. 3 is an upright section substantially on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3, and showing a modified form of construction;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a further modified form of construction;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a further modified form of construction;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view, on a smaller scale, showing the closed and sealed wardrobe box.

Wardrobe boxes have been proposed for the storage and transportation of clothing, in which parts of the box wall structures may be opened for the insertion or removal of the garments, and with provision of hanger bars supported by the box walls and adapted to receive the upper hooks of clothes hangers upon which the garments have been placed.

lllustratively such a box may be made as shown in Fig. 1, in which a closed-bottom box of corrugated paperboard has the rear wall 10, the end walls 11, 12, and a lower front panel 13. A pair of top flaps 14, are respectively connected at hinge lines 16, 17 with the side walls 11, 12, and a rear top flap 18 is likewise connected to the rear wall 10 at hinge line 19. The upper front or door panel 20 is connected at an upright hinge line 21 to the end wall 12 and complements the lower panel-13 to provide a front closure. A top flap 22 is connected at a hinge line 23 to the top of the door panel 20. Such a box may be made from a single blank, with a stapling strip 24 formed integral with the side wall 11 and secured to the lower front panel 13 in assembly. Cuts are formed at the hinge lines 16, 17, to provide tabs 26, 27 which can be folded down inside the box.

2,796,977 Patented June 25, 1957 "Ice A hanger bar according to this invention is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, comprising the end hooks 30, 31 formed of folded sheet metal, to engage over the upper edges of the end walls 11, 12, passing over the tabs 26, 27. These end hooks are connected by a bar 32 also formed of folded sheet metal as a downwardly open channel which is Welded at its ends to the end hooks. The bar 32 may be provided on its top with struck-up portions 33 for limiting sliding of garment hangers along the bar.

In a first embodiment, a support piece 35 is provided by a T-shaped structure which is secured to the top of the bar 32. This structure 35 is cheaply made by foldingtwo sheet metal pieces 36, 37 at right angles to form L-shaped members which are then placed together and rigidly connected by spot welds 38. This assembly 35 is then secured, illustratively by welding, to the bar 32.

In service, with the parts assembled in the position of Fig. 1, packing can be done. The side wall flaps 14, 15 are then swung down about their hinge lines 16, 17: preferably these panels have widths at their centers of length, in the directions away from the hinge lines 16, 17,

such that they fit closely against the ends of the T-shaped.

structure 35. The rear flap '18 is then swung down, and its front edge brought beneath (Fig. 3) the upper part 40 of the piece 36, this being permitted by slight rockings of the bar 32 and its end hooks in the openings of flaps 14', 15. The door panel 20 is swung into place, with its top flap 22 depressed so that it moves beneath the top portion 41 of the piece 37. The flaps 18, 22 overlie the flaps 14, 15, and provide a closure as shown in Fig. 7. If desired, the door panel 20 may be secured by a short length of glued paper tape 42. The lower end panels may be sealed and secured by a like tape 43 in setting up the box for use and prior to packing (Figs. 1 and 7).

The package so completed may be moved easily by hand-truck, placed in vans or cars for shipment, and stored, in the upright position as packed. Other goods may be placed on top, noting that the weight of a superposed like box can be carried partly by the upright walls of the boxes, and that part of the weight exerted by the upper box is received by the upper parts 40, 41 of the structure 35 and thereby transferred to the bar 32 and thence to the side walls of the lower box. Other superposed lading is likewise in part supported by the structure 35 and thence by the side walls.

The upper parts 40, 41 of the structure 35 also serve to prevent upward swinging of the top flaps 18, 22 which in turn retain the flaps.

The packing can also be done, with the flaps 14, 15, 18 in closed position; and thus additions may be made to the contents without disturbing these three flaps. Unpacking can be accomplished by opening the door panel 20 with its flap 22, with or without opening the other top flaps.

In the modified form of Fig. 4, the bar 32 has the structure 45 secured to its top, this structure 45 being formed by spot-welding two pieces as before. In this form, the free edges of the top portions 46, 47 are turned downwardly to provide flanges 48, 49 which engage in slots 50, 50 provided in the top flaps 18, 22, and thereby serve to prevent a swinging of the door panel 20 and its flaps 22 toward open position, and to strengthen the box against horizontal blows near its top.

In the modified form of Fig. 5, the structure resembles the""structures 35, 45 of Figs. 3 and 4, but the downturned portions 56, 57 are localized at the free corners of the top portions 58, 59, for engagement in like slots formed in the top flaps 18, 22.

In the modified form of Fig. 6, the structure has downturned portions 66, 67 formed within the areas of the top portions 68, 69.

The illustrative embodiments of the invention are not restrictive: and this invention can be practiced in many ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hanger for a wardrobe box which has side walls and a flexible top wall, comprising a bar with hooks at its ends for supporting it upon opposed upright walls of the box, and a support piece on said bar and extending through the top wall of the box, said support piece including a horizontally extending portion located above the said top wall for receiving the weight of an article overlying the box. I

2. A hanger as in claim 1, in which the bar is of metal, and thesupport piece is a T-shaped metal member rigidly connected at its foot to said bar. r 3., A hanger for a wardrobe box which has side walls and a flexible top wall, comprising a bar with means on its end for supporting it on the box, and a support piece secured on said bar and extending through the top Wall of the box and having a horizontal projection above the top wall for detaining portions of the top wall against upward movement.

4. A hanger as in claim 3, in which the said detaining bars are horizontal portions extending from opposite sides of the support piece.

5. A hanger for a paperboard wardrobe box having end and rear walls and a swinging front upper panel, said walls and panel having hingedly connected flaps which together form a top wall, the end wall flaps having openings at the hinge lines, the combination of a bar, end hooks connected to the bar for engaging the tops of the box end walls, a support piece secured to the bar and extending upwardly therefrom to a level above the top wall, and horizontal flanges on the top piece overlying and engaging the upper flaps of said top wall.

6. A wardrobe box and hanger bar assembly, comprising a box having a bottom, rear and end walls, and a lower front wall portion, top flaps hinged to said rear and end walls, an upper front Wall panel hinged to a said end wall and having at its top a flap hinged thereto, said box having slots at the hinge lines of the top flaps associated with the end walls, a hanger bar having at its ends hooks engaged in said slots for supporting the hanger bar upon the end walls, and a T-shaped structure secured to the top of the hanger bar at mid length thereof, said T-shaped structure having'downwardly extendingprojections, said top flaps on the rear wall and said front wall panel having apertures for receiving said projections whereby to restrict swinging movements of said top flaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,770,357 Sheard Nov. 13, 1956 

